Marie-Elaine Thibert | |
---|---|
Born | April 18, 1982 |
Origin | Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
Genres | Light rock, Adult contemporary, Pop |
Years active | 2003-present |
Labels | Musicor |
Marie-Élaine Thibert (born April 18, 1982) is a Canadian adult contemporary and pop singer based in Quebec. Thibert was first notable for being the runner-up in the first season of Star Académie in 2003, the Quebec singing idol reality show. She is also a two-time Felix-award winner for best Female artist in Quebec and one-time Juno-award winner for Best Francophone album in Canada.
Born in the district of LaSalle in the Montréal region, Thibert started to express interest in music during high school and college. She participated in several competitions and contests some of which she won. Thibert then auditioned for Star Académie in 2003 in which she performed on several occasions one of her favorites songs performed originally by Jacques Brel. Thibert finished second to Acadien-born Wilfred Le Bouthillier in the show's first season.
After Star Académie, Thibert met up several times with her long-time Idol Celine Dion and once met a duet performance prior to her disc launch.
Her self-titled debut album was launched a few months after Star Académie in early 2004. 300,000 copies of the album were sold, which easily surpassed the totals of Le Bouthiller's self-titled album and season-two champion Stéphanie Lapointe's Sur le fil, the latter of which is in a genre similar to Thibert but with a much lighter tone. The success of the album resulted in two Felix award at the ADISQ gala later that year. She won the awards for the album with the best sales and best female singer. She won the latter category again in 2005. She also won a Juno Award for best Francophone Album in Canada for her debut album, ahead of Dany Bédard, Nicola Ciccone, Canadian Idol finalist Audrey De Montigny and Les Trois Accords. She was also nominated for Juno Fan Choice Award in which Avril Lavigne won ahead of Thibert, Sarah McLachlan, Diana Krall and Shania Twain.